Deliver Us
by KKYOKO
Summary: Sasuke arrives in the Sound Village and meets Rin. As they get on friendlier terms, he realizes that she's hiding something from everyone. What he doesn't know is that it has something to do with the Akatsuki, and particularly Uchiha Itachi. ItachiOC
1. Chapter 1: Made It

Revamped. So reread.

**Deliver Us**

**Kajihenge Yoko**

**Chapter One - Made it (Sasuke)**

The Land of Rice Paddies is a shit hole, if you ever go there.

The border town was paved with dirt-roads, lined with sad, dilapidated shops and houses. Fences were rotting in the moist air, and the few people that were out were huddled together, looking as wan as their buildings. There were no sounds of children playing, even though it was around noon. The girls and women that were out and about walked briskly, holding hands with whomever they were with, their shoulders tense with alertness.

Looking around for somewhere to eat, I noticed a lone girl standing to the left of me. She was rocking back and forth on her heels casually, and then yawned, covering her mouth. She looked up, saw me, and frowned. Pulling out what looked like a playing card, she glanced at it and back at me.

"Ah," she said, stuffing the card back in her pocket. "You're the one I'm meeting. Uchiha Sasuke, right?" She shifted a bag on her shoulder and moved closer, eyeing me curiously. I looked up at her forehead, but saw no headband to mark her as a ninja, although her body said otherwise.

"You're from Sound?" I asked.

She nodded, and looked at a watch on her wrist. "We should go, or we'll miss the next train." She stepped back and turned on her heel, and I followed her down the road. "So the others didn't make it back with you? That's unusual for them."

"No," I answered. "I don't really know what happened to them, actually. They had me in a coffin for the most part."

She nodded. "How's the curse seal?"

I shrugged. "It doesn't hurt right now, but it's been buzzing my shoulder like no tomorrow."

"It'll do that when it's trying to replenish its energy – by taking it from you, of course." She shifted her bag on her shoulder again. "Oh, my name's Katsuragi Rin, by the way. Sorry, I'm not really good with introductions. I get pretty awkward, actually. I seem to expect for everyone to know my name already, even though there isn't any reason they should. I should get famous," she grinned.

"Ah," I said politely. "Well, you know my name already, so I guess we're done with that."

"Yup."

I winced as my stomach growled.

"We'll eat on the train," she answered, looking like she was trying to contain a smile. As I turned to give her a look, we crossed tracks and came upon the train station's wooden platform. Rin dug in her bag and pulled out two tickets that she had already bought, and waved at me to follow her quickly. We darted around the handful of people standing around, and went through the shack that sat on top of the platform, making it to the open air on the other side. The train sitting in front of the platform wasn't more than four cars long, including the graffiti-ed engine. Rin hurried up to the conductor and handed him our tickets. After ripping the stubs, he stepped aside and let us on.

The air on the train was warmer than the air outside. It carried a damp moldy smell to it, and I was guessing that it was coming from the empty seats lined up against the car's wall. No one else was in the car but us. I gave Rin a curious look.

She shrugged. "There's not much travel at the end of summer. Plus it's Monday."

"I see," I said, wrinkling my nose at the smell as I slid into a seat by the window. Rin sat next to me and turned so that she was facing me, but looking out the window behind us. "When will they give us something to eat?" I asked, feeling my stomach get more hallowed as time passed.

Before she could answer, a baby's crying penetrated the air. A haggard-looking woman stepped in the car, jostling what looked like a newborn wrapped in a blue blanket in her arms. A toddler girl clung to her skirt for dear life, as her mother was also struggling under the weight of a large and heavy looking diaper bag. I got to my feet, feeling obligation drive me and excused myself, grabbing the slipping diaper bag from her and shouldering it myself. I wasn't sure what she had in there, but it weighed at least forty pounds.

"Ah, thanks," she said, nervously. Her eyes grew big and wary.

"Sasuke," Rin said, staying in her seat, "just set the bag down next to a seat and leave her alone." She was eyeing the woman's daughter, who had hid her face in her mother's dress. I didn't particularly appreciate being told what to do, but apparently Rin understood the woman's nervousness. I set the bag down in a seat across the car and backed away, sitting down beside Rin again.

"Th-thanks," the woman said again, dragging her little girl to the seats down to the other end of the car, grabbing the bag on her way.

When she was gone, Rin turned back to me. "Yeah, it really freaks people out when you help them in this country. They're used to being pushed around and oppressed and generally abused by everyone else. She probably thought you were going to steal her bag."

That was unusual for me, since the residents of Konoha were generally appreciative of any help offered.

"Not that your heart wasn't in the right place," she offered kindly.

Soon enough, the train got underway and a lady came through with a cart of ham sandwiches and offered everyone a plate. Rin refused, claiming she had eaten already, eyeing the sandwiches skeptically. I took a plate hungrily and took a huge bite out of the corner of the sandwich. There was entirely too much mayo and not enough ham, but it would do until later. The lady moved on to the woman with children, offering a small bag of animal crackers to the little girl. I heard the mother refuse the sandwiches as well, although she accepted the crackers for the girl.

After a while, Rin asked, "How is it?" raising an eyebrow.

"It's good," I replied. "Are you sure you're not hungry? You could still get a plate."

She shook her head. "No. I don't eat white bread, or processed ham. There're too many simple carbs and nitrates."

I shook my head at her. Girls were always too worried about their figures. "So you're just going to starve?"

"No, I had a bento before you showed up," she grinned. "I do eat a lot, shockingly." She dug in her bag and pulled out a bright blue bento box and opened it. "I think I did leave a rice ball though – yup. See?" She held up a brown rice ball and then frowned. "Was this one the pickled plum?" she asked herself. She bit into it and nodded cheerfully. "Good snack."

So we were on the train for about two hours, and I passed most of the time staring out of the window, watching rice paddies go by. Most looked full and ready to be harvested. As the sun started to set on the other side of the train it threw shadows over the land we passed. I saw workers in the fields packing up their gear as they got ready to go home. "Are they going to harvest the rice soon?" I asked Rin.

She nodded. "They will within the next month at least." She stretched. "Then we'll head to local fields and get some for the compound."

"Why do you call the village a compound?" I asked.

"It's really not big enough. It's just the main house, labs, and some other buildings," she replied. "You'll see it soon enough."

We fell into silence, watching the landscape outside the window. I looked over at Rin while she was staring out of the window in the mild trance that comes with traveling. Her build, I noticed, was like Hyuuga Hinata's - muscular and compact. She was also very pale-skinned, like she wasn't outside much, even though it was the end of summer. Her hair was a vibrant auburn that reminded me of that kid, Gaara's, although hers was chin-length, but still pretty practical for a kunoichi.

"What's your specialty?" I asked, still observing her.

She turned back to me. "Medical ninjutsu. I'm Kabuto-senpai's apprentice. I think you've met him, right?"

I scowled. "Yeah, I've met him."

"Ah," she said, reading my expression. "Seems he gets under your skin too."

"He's creepy."

She nodded. "This is true," she agreed, matter of factly.

"How did he end up your instructor?" I asked.

"Oh, you know, after your parents cart you off to a psychopath not giving a shit about your welfare, you pretty much do what you can to not be an experiment or a prisoner. Kabuto-senpai ended up taking a liking to me, so that helped a lot." Her jaw set in a line. She blinked as she realized how that sounded. "Well, _almost_ anything you can do, I mean. And senpai is way too old for me – he's twenty-two. I'm only fifteen…sixteen in November. Totally jailbait still."

I snorted in amusement.

Finally, about twenty minutes later, the train began to slow down. As it squeaked to a stop before a small platform, Rin stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Let's go," she said.

"Are we close?" I asked as we made our way to the front.

"We'll have to walk from here, but it's not much farther," she replied, stepping out of the car and onto the platform.

The train dropped us off in a very empty area. It was basically a meadow with tracks running through it, and a dirt road going perpendicular to the tracks. There was a little posted sign beside the platform with "Owl Meadow" written on it. I looked back and forth along the dirt road and saw that it cut through the surrounding woods. I looked ahead from the platform to the line of trees.

She turned to me. "Okay, here, we follow this path into the woods and go from there." She nodded to the dirt road under our feet. "It doesn't have a name, this road, but it's a very useful one. It goes through the woods of the hideout and though a bigger city," she pointed her thumb behind her, "back that way. And if you travel on it past these woods," she said, pointing ahead, "it'll take you to the ocean."

"Good to know," I said.

She shrugged. "You'll need to know anyway." She glanced at her watch. "We really need to hurry. Orochimaru's going to be pissed."

I shrugged. "Well, if you're going to get into trouble…"

She inhaled and turned to me and smiled. "Yeah, trouble is a bit of an understatement, so let's go really, really fast, okay?" With that, she suddenly dashed off ahead of me and darted into the woods.

"Hey!" I shouted after her, running and jumping into the trees. I saw her up ahead, in blurred motion because she was so fast. I activated my sharingan and finally saw her movements clearly. "What do you think will happen if you show up without me?" I demanded.

I saw her twitch, and knew I struck a nerve, but she didn't slow down a bit.

I amped it up, faster than before, but it didn't seem to make much of a difference because she was ridiculously …dodgy. Must be a medic-nin thing. I followed her like this for a couple of kilometers, and then she finally started slowing down. I sped up with an extra burst of energy and landed on the ground beside her.

She turned to me. "Oh, good, you're still here."

"Uh, yeah, thanks by the way for just taking off," I scowled.

"Sorry, but, you know how it is…answering to people that can kill you with their little finger," she said casually, moving through the brush.

I bristled at her remark, but followed her through the brush anyway. We moved into a clearing and I saw a huge tree with what looked like a cellar door at the base. As I moved closer, I felt a strange pressure on me, like a hundred hands laying flat all over me and pushing.

"Don't worry," said Rin. "That feeling is just the barrier protecting this place." She walked over to a nearby tree and put her hand on it. The pressure ceased. "Moving on," she said. "Okay, now when we get to the door, you'll have to put your hand on it the same time I do, since the door doesn't know you yet."

"Whatever."

She turned to me, with a glare. "No, not 'whatever'. This is serious. If you don't do it right, you'll die. Painfully." She raised an eyebrow.

I sighed. "Fine."

Seeming satisfied, she turned to the big tree and went down the steps. I followed her, shoving a hand in my pocket irritably. Her hand hovered in front of the door, and she turned and looked back at me. I sighed again and pushed my palm against the door the same time she did.

The door creaked open. Cold air blew forward, along with the smell of damp earth. We stepped inside and closed the door behind us. I heard Rin feel along the wall, and suddenly a fluorescent light came on above us. "Come on," she said. "He'll be waiting in his wing." I followed her down the entrance hall and through a large dining room and then left to another hallway.

A few meters down the hallway, she turned down another smaller hallway, and into a wide, flat room, full of junk. On a large chair, sitting right in the middle was Orochimaru. He smiled at me - in his own creepy way.

"Sasuke-kun, it's nice to see you." Somehow, his voice seemed a little bitter. "It's a shame you weren't able to be here sooner." He got to his feet and looked me over, circling me.

Kabuto shifted by the chair, turning to Rin. "You seemed to take a while, Rin-chan - much longer than necessary." His words seemed heavy too, like they were disappointed about something. Maybe they expected us sooner and we missed something?

"Sasuke didn't show up until a little after three," Rin replied, shifting her weight nervously. "I raced him here, actually."

"Ah," said Orochimaru, eyes seeming to drill a hole through her. "You did make an effort, then. It's too bad that it didn't make a difference." His golden eyes glittered on me. "But I have what I want now, I suppose."

Rin flinched and bowed at the waist, obviously sensing that she was in trouble. "Is everything well with you, Orochimaru-sama?"

Oh, so she calls him "sama" to his face. What a little hypocrite – although, being respectful couldn't hurt. I wasn't exactly sure how much trouble she would be in because of our supposed lateness, but it seemed ridiculous anyway.

"Better than when you left, Rin-chan," he replied, coldly. "My mood seems heavy somehow, in any case."

"I am very sorry, Orochimaru-sama. Perhaps Sasuke would have been here sooner if the others had been with him, but I'm afraid they never showed up," she said, directing his attention to the lack of ninja that were probably supposed to be with me to guide me. "I wonder if they're still alive." She turned to look at me, quizzically. "Do you know what happened to them, Sasuke?"

I shrugged, going along with her, even though we had already been over this. I really didn't think being a little late was worth getting this kind of reception.

"I think we can safely assume they are dead," Kabuto said offhandedly, obviously not caring that much. "Anyway, let's have something to eat. I think we could have a good dinner, if you'll help me in the kitchen, Rin-chan?" he looked at her pointedly.

She nodded, mouth set in a firm line. "Let's grill some cod, senpai."

"Ah, all right then, since you did make the marinade and all." he said, and together they turned and left the room.

Orochimaru turned to me, folding his hands behind his back. "Will you be ready to begin training tomorrow, Sasuke-kun?"

I nodded. "Unless you want to begin tonight?"

"Not tonight, Sasuke-kun." He looked me over, frowning. "You're no good to me tired."

I scowled, irritated that he could tell.

* * *

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	2. Chapter 2: Like Nails

**Chapter Two: Like Nails (Rin)**

Mornings usually begin with me making breakfast for Sasuke. Senpai usually waits on Orochimaru, so I have to wait on him. Luckily, all Sasuke wants in the morning is eggs and bacon. I made him toast once, but he didn't touch it, so I didn't make it again.

After breakfast, he goes to find Orochimaru and demands to be trained. Orochimaru puts him off for a bit either because he is not a morning person, or because he finds Sasuke's reactions amusing. Eventually, he gives in and shows Sasuke a thing or two, but then he sits back and watches his prodigy for awhile. Sasuke's pretty fast at picking things up, and he usually trains with his sharingan activated to catch everything Orochimaru's doing.

After Sasuke leaves the breakfast table, Kabuto-senpai and I meet up in the labs and check up on all of his "patients". Karin's there every morning with reports about how such-and-such affected so-and-so, and who tried to break out, and who went berserk in cell fifty-one because he thought the walls were closing in on him. Yeah, it sounds like a psychiatric hospital, doesn't it? Some of it is.

After the meeting with Karin, we go see who's up for surgery, or alterations, and I prep the "patient" and occasionally help Senpai, but usually I watch. Kabuto-senpai has very deft and delicate hands for a man. Most of it is training, I know, because my own hands are the same, but his seem genetic somehow. I asked him if he got his hands from his mom once, but he said he didn't remember her. I don't know if that was true or not, but I could understand. I try not to remember my family either, considering how well they don't remember me.

Later on, Senpai shows me something new, or we work on the Dead Soul jutsu - which I have yet to completely perfect. The face always throws me off. Kabuto-senpai is usually very patient with me, but always wants me to be perfect, which gets to be really annoying for both of us. For one, I have already learned at a very young age, that perfectionism can get you nowhere - especially with people that don't want you - no matter how perfect you are. And two, Kabuto-senpai was nowhere near perfect himself. Sure, he executes jutsu perfectly, most of the time, but he is forgetful, and makes bad judgments like other human beings.

Eventually, we eat lunch and everybody gets back to work until the communal dinner. Kabuto-senpai and I cook - or actually he cooks and I snack on all of the ingredients he pulls out, and then he takes whatever I'm eating away from me, "because I don't want you to get fat, Rin-chan".

No, really, he says that.

Anyway, we eventually all sit around the table and eat. I'm not exactly sure why Orochimaru insists on this …display, but it's really annoying. I would rather eat and read a book. Or eat outside. Maybe he does it to unnerve us. Karin and I usually try to make some small petty conversation about whatever so that we don't feel awkward. Even after eating like this for four years, Karin and I still haven't gotten used to it. Kabuto-senpai seems completely unaffected, of course.

Two weeks after Sasuke arrived, Kabuto-senpai told me in his office that he and Orochimaru would be leaving the base. They were looking into building new hideouts in case they needed them later on.

"How long will you be gone?" I asked.

"About a month, Rin-chan," he replied. "Don't forget to do the shopping and pick up in Akita. I'm leaving a list for you in here, and Karin will be making one up too."

"And the genin?" I asked.

"Right, don't forget them either," he said, moving over to the counter and opening a cupboard door. "The money is in the safe, and you know the combination." He paused and turned to me, frowning. "If anything happens, you know where the self-destruct button to the compound is. Just make sure you, Sasuke-kun, and Karin get out in time. No one else really matters that much."

"I really doubt anything will happen, since this place has been undiscovered for at least fifteen years."

Senpai's glasses glinted in the fluorescent light. "Knock on wood, Rin-chan."

His creepy look and my own feeling of the jinx made me decide to knock on the wall, just to be safe. Not that I really believe in those things. He turned back to the cupboard and pulled out some pill bottles, probably preparing the ones to take with him on the trip.

"When are you leaving?" I asked.

"Tomorrow morning," he replied, looking at me again. "Oh, by the way, we heard your family is having a ball in two months. Apparently they want you to go."

"Can I refuse?" I asked. "You know how my mother is - I might end up killing her, honestly."

Kabuto-senpai rested a hand on my shoulder. "I know seeing them will be hard on you, Rin-chan. They have never been kind to you, or even really loved you as far as I can tell, but they do have some reason for wanting you to go, so you should find out what it is."

"Senpai, I really, really don't want to see them. It's been four years, you know, and I just don't think -"

"Rin-chan," he interrupted me, "don't make me _make_ you go. It's vital that Orochimaru-sama seem very apparent in their lives. Your mother doesn't care about anything as long as she's rich; even if that means siding with us, but your father…he was never predictable. It's important that you keep an eye on him. Make a list of the attending guests."

I frowned. "You aren't worried about him betraying Orochimaru, are you?"

"We just need to be sure where he stands." His words were final, and blunt.

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3: Fight Me

I don't know how this chapter ended up so long. D=

There's not a whole lot of Sasuke introspection yet, because I'm still setting things up for his character, but it will be coming.

Half of this was written to She Wants Revenge. They are my muses. XD

**Chapter 3: Fight Me (Sasuke)**

* * *

Without Orochimaru around, there was no way to occupy my time. It really pissed me off, because he didn't even leave me anything to study. I was bored and restless, so Rin suggested that I take a walk. It was said politely, but I really think I was wearing on her nerves. Not that I was really trying to, but I really wasn't trying to make nice to her either. She annoyed me a little, but she wasn't as bad as Karin. Even though we didn't really like each other, I could probably get along with her best out of the village – not that I really cared about that. Anyway, I did end up going for a walk around the compound, above ground where the shed that led to the labs and the genin quarters lay.

There were trees everywhere, I noted as I looked around the estate. It was worse than Konoha, the king of trees. Aside from the two training grounds, there were hardly any clear places. I wondered what Rin was thinking, suggesting I look around. If I wanted to see trees, I could have stayed home. It's amazing there weren't wood roaches crawling all over inside of the main house.

_This is ridiculous_, I thought to myself, kicking at the ground. _I didn't come to Hidden Sound for the freaking scenery. _

"Sasuke-kun?"

I jumped.

Oh God. Not _her_ again.

I turned around, _really slowly_, cringing inwardly.

Karin's face lit up like Christmas morning. "Sasuke-kun, what are you doing out here?" She - there is no other word for it - _sashayed_ up to me, her lips pulling together as though ready to lay one on me at any second. "You know, if Rin-chan isn't taking good care of you, you could always come to me, Sasuke-kun." And then, I kid you not, she _winked_.

I sort of wanted to throw up. Right there.

_On_ her.

"Sasuke-kun…" she murmured, edging closer to me, _leaning in_ -

I backed away quickly. "I…gotta go." And then I ran - _retreated _- for all I was worth.

"Sasuke-kun!" she called after me.

I darted through fifty trees and through the east kitchen's back door. Slamming it behind me, I locked all five locks, rushing, in case she was right behind me.

"Um, Sasuke?"

I turned and saw Rin sitting on the island's counter, half-eaten apple in hand, a textbook sprawled across her lap. She was frowning at me. Swallowing she asked, "You okay?"

"What - oh. Yeah," I said, not completely there. "Um, if Karin asks where I am…um, I'm not in. Ever."

Rin just gave me this look like she thought I was totally funny. "The thing is, Sasuke, Karin-san doesn't have to ask where anyone is. She can detect someone's chakra from miles away." She propped her book up and took another bite of her apple. "You can't hide from her," she said thickly.

I think, just then, right at that moment, I died. "Shit."

She snorted in amusement, like it was so funny that I could never shake off a stalker.

What a bitch.

The next day was a little better, me and Rin went to go check on the genin, and one little punk got it in his head that we _weren't_ in charge.

He folded his arms and gave Rin a disapproving look. "Like _you_ could ever be our commander. You're a _girl_."

Rin gave him a look that would make normal kids pee their pants. "And what's wrong with that?" Her voice was quiet and dangerous.

The genin didn't seem to notice the warning signs, or was too cocky to care. "Girls are _weak_."

I had to hand it to Rin, she was fast. I don't think he even saw her draw her fist back. She must have sent that kid three feet in the air, and seven feet back. He would have gone further, but he hit a tree. Plus, I think she was going easy on him; she looked like she could have hit him harder.

I know I could have. Then I kind of started to wonder how strong she was. And I wondered if she had the strength to throw me back that far. It seemed like I had about ten or fifteen pounds on that genin kid. And I was taller. Maybe; if she didn't hold back. I grinned inwardly. I knew how to make her hit me now though.

I kept thinking about it as we walked away, glancing at her now and then, looking her over. She was probably packing some muscle under her clothes. It was hard to tell because she usually wore shirts that weren't skin-tight. She looked like she could be a pretty powerful opponent, even without knowing that she had been trained by both Orochimaru and Kabuto.

I asked her if she wanted to spar with me.

"Spar?" she asked, frowning.

"Yeah," I shrugged. "I haven't worked on my taijutsu in a week and a half. And that punch you gave that kid was pretty good."

She grinned. "Sure. I could use the workout." We started heading towards one of the training grounds. "Taijutsu only then?"

"Yeah," I replied. We reached the clearing and fell into stances at about a yard away from each other.

I waited, wanting her to come to me first.

She ran at me, delivered a sweep kick that I deftly avoided, followed up by a punch to my knee that I narrowly dodged. The momentum of her kick kept her going and she used it to swing back up to her feet. She aimed another punch at my abdomen, but I knocked her fist back while aiming my own at her stomach. She twisted away, and spun a roundhouse kick to my lower back. Because she positioned it the way she did, I couldn't dodge, so I ended up turning and taking the hit in my side. It wasn't strong that time, since it was hastily done, but before she could get her leg away from me, I grabbed her by the knee and shoved her into the ground.

That pissed her off a little, I think, since the next punch she aimed was at my face. I ducked and aimed at her stomach again, but she caught my fist and used my force behind it to push herself away.

She huffed, annoyed. "We're not getting anywhere like this." Considering that most ninja fights didn't last more than two or three minutes, and neither of us had the upper hand yet, uh, yeah.

Before I could agree, she ran at me again, throwing a punch to my side. I caught her fist, but I noticed too late that her other hand, first two fingers extended, were aimed at the place where the side of the neck meets the collarbone.

And _that_ hurt like a mo.

Wincing, I shoved her away from me.

"Pressure point," she said cheerfully, wiggling the fingers she hit me with.

I aimed my next punch at her face. It grazed right her cheek, since she just barely dodged it. She probably wasn't expecting me to hit her in the face, but we needed to start fighting for real if we were ever going to end this.

She realized it too and kicked me in the shin.

"Mean," she said.

"Practical," I replied, stepping away from her.

She looked at me, contemplating how to attack me next. I wondered how this would turn out if we used ninjutsu. We were too close to each other's level in taijutsu. Although I was definitely stronger then she was, she didn't stick to any particular fighting form. It would be hard to beat her like this. My sharingan could probably help a lot though.

If this wasn't over in three minutes, I would be using it.

I ran at her, aiming my kick to catch her in the ribs, she sidestepped, just in time, then launched herself at me, hooking her elbow around my throat, catching me in a lock, and jumped on my back. I nearly buckled, not expecting her weight. She was heavier than she looked.

I _knew_ there was muscle under there.

Her arm squeezed tighter around my throat, choking me. Deciding that prying her off was next to impossible because she had locked her legs around my waist, I fell back onto the ground, crushing her underneath me. I heard her gasp for air, having had the breath knocked out of her. But she didn't let up on my throat, so I elbowed her repeatedly until I convinced her that a couple of cracked ribs weren't worth it.

I rolled off of her when she let go, but she didn't give up. She tried to punch me in the face, but I caught her arm and pinned her underneath me again, pressing my forearm into her throat.

"Give in," I said, figuring she was getting as tired as I was.

She smirked and wedged a knee between us and pried me off of her. She swung one leg over my right shoulder, then as we rolled she caught my other shoulder, and before I knew it she had my head in a lock between her thighs and was firmly settled on my chest. Her smirk grew triumphant as she folded her arms and leaned forward. "Make me."

"Fine." I had to admit, she was pretty good with these locks. But, unfortunately for her, I was flexible enough to catch her with my own legs. As I pulled her down by the neck with my knees, I simultaneously picked her up by her hips and pried her off of me. I turned and kept my legs around her, putting her in a scissor lock. She cursed.

Then she bit my thigh.

I hissed and punched her in the back.

Somehow, she managed to turn a little on her stomach, probably because I had carelessly let up when she bit me, and aimed a punch at my crotch. _Luckily_, I caught her fist in time, and let her out of the lock. It was just backfiring now.

She rolled away from me, out of breath, and sat up. She rubbed her back where I punched her, wincing.

"Give up yet?" I asked, sitting up.

"Can't your pride take a stalemate?" she asked, slowly getting to her feet.

She was getting tired, I could tell. She had a lot of stamina for a girl, though.

I sighed, standing up slowly too. "I suppose."

"Let's get something to eat," she said. "I'm hungry."

* * *

Dinner that night was good. We had beef stew.

Too bad Karin was there. I had been hoping that she would have been held up in the labs or something, working on experiments or whatever she does. She was so annoying.

A bell rang somewhere, and Rin leaned sideways, looking past Karin and down the entrance hall. I realized then that it must have been a doorbell. Why does _Orochimaru_ have a doorbell?

I glanced at Rin. "Do you want to get it?"

She frowned. "We're really not supposed to leave the table."

I sighed and got up, feeling her scowl at my back. Down the entrance hall, I opened the inner door, then opened the outer door. What I assume was another genin looked up at me with wide eyes. "Um, wh-who are you, um, sir?" he asked, unsure of my rank.

"Uchiha Sasuke, Orochimaru's new apprentice. What do you want, kid?"

"Oh! Um, there's been a breach in the perimeter, Sasuke-sama," he said, nervously.

I turned to face the dining hall. "Hey, you two. Get down here."

Rin and Karin stood on either side of me in the blink of an eye.

"Hiro-chan, what's going on?" Rin asked.

"Rin-sama! There are ninja crossing the north border, about twenty, but I don't think they're from the Fuuma. Or from another hidden village."

The girls exchanged a thoughtful look around me.

"Shiba?" Rin suggested.

Karin shook her head. "No, we've got most of them in the dungeons. I bet it's the Miyatake."

"Could be." She turned back to the kid. "Lead on, then, Hiro-chan."

We finally got to the north border, where the genin were already fighting the invaders. There were more genin out of commission than the Miyatake, but that wasn't too surprising. It was annoying though that Orochimaru had so few ninja under his command. I was going to have to ask Rin about that later.

She quickly dove into the fight, hands glowing with chakra that I didn't even need my sharingan to see. I followed her after tossing a glance back to Karin. She seemed more content to watch, and started pulling some of the unconscious genin away from the battle.

I noticed something immediately about the Miyatake. They _all_ had swords.

"Hey, Rin-chan! Sasuke-kun! Try not to kill any!" Karin called. "We can use them!"

I saw Rin glance down at the crumpled bodies around her. "Oops."

I snorted and kicked one in the head, knocking him out. Then I decided that kicking them was kind of fun, so I took down a few more the same way. The swords were easy to dodge, especially with my sharingan, and luckily, I learned a few more ways to use a sword.

Rin was hitting them with her chakra hands at their ankles, letting them collapse. I'm not sure what she was doing exactly, but I made a mental note to avoid her hands whenever we had a ninjutsu spar.

Eventually, I just sort of lost myself in movement, dodging swords and fists, returning the attempted blows with punches and kicks. I haven't fought like this in awhile, but it was exciting. I looked around and found that there were only two left. They looked at each other nervously for a moment, then one nodded to the other. They looked at us.

"We surrender," they said in unison.

Rin started toward them, giving them a polite smile that clearly wasn't sincere. I think she had been around Kabuto to long to have picked up that smile. Suddenly, my sharingan caught a familiar pattern of chakra. "Rin!" I warned, but it was too late, she was too close. Without thinking, I ran forward, and grabbed her around the waist and threw us backward the same time the exploding note went off in the left one's hand.

The explosion was powerful, it knocked us back about fifteen feet, flinging us into the dirt.

"Bastards," Rin coughed, rolling off of me. She was blurry, and I realized that my eyes burned. I hissed and sat up, rubbing at them. Rin noticed. "Let me see," she said, gently tugging my hands away. Her chakra was cool and soon the burning stopped. I blinked as she took her hand away. Clarity was back.

"You're face is red," I commented. "And covered in dirt." And her hair was sticking up too, but I decided not to mention that. I coughed and wiped the dirt away from my mouth.

"Same to you," she said, looking around. The battlefield was covered with scorched bodies, and grotesque chunks of the dead ninja.

Karin ran toward us. "Are you all right?" Her eyes were wide and frantic behind her glasses.

"Fine," I replied.

"How are the genin?" Rin asked, getting to her feet. I noticed that she was bleeding from quite a few cuts. Obviously, she hadn't been able to read the Miyatake swords as easily as I had with my sharingan.

Karin winced. "Well, we now have fifteen." She frowned, looking back at the field. "A couple were too close to the explosion, they'll probably live, but not with all of their limbs. And three more were caught by swords."

She sighed. "The Miyatake are pretty good with kenjutsu." She glanced down at herself. "They even managed to cut me."

Unwilling to let the fact that I couldn't beat her in our spar slide, I offered up an excuse. "You were surrounded by swords."

She nodded. "True." She turned to Karin. "Take me to the critically injured ones."

"I'll help Rin-chan," Karin said. "Sasuke, will you go to Kabuto-san's office and grab some bandages – "

"No," Rin interrupted, "we need to move them to the labs, where there are more than enough medical supplies. Sasuke, if you could patrol the perimeter with the rest of the genin, that'd be great." She looked around. "Hiro-chan!"

The boy from earlier dropped down from a nearby tree.

"Take Sasuke and the rest of the genin and spread out on the perimeter. If more than ten come, we'll self-destruct, so get the radios and make sure you keep up with me." She turned back to me. "Be careful. If I say that we're self-destructing, get out of here as fast as you can." Her face darkened. "Try to take as many genin with you as you can. We'll meet at Owl Meadow – the train stop, remember?"

"Uh, yeah, but isn't self-destructing a little over-the-top?" I mean, I realize that we weren't all at the top of our game, but…blowing the compound sky high? Really?

"Those were senpai's orders. And the next people they send won't be as easy to kill as these guys. Sure, there isn't anyone to go back and tell where the compound is, but I think anyone nearby could tell from that explosion," Rin replied. She reached for my shoulder, and as her hand settled on it, I could somehow sense that she was a little scared, but really glad that I was here. "Sasuke, I really need you and the others on the perimeter. Hiro-chan will show you where the radios are. You're in charge, obviously." She drew her hand away and turned to the nearest genin on the ground. "Hurry up."

"Fine," I said. "You and Karin can manage to get all of the injured ones to the labs, right?"

"_Yes_, would you go, please?" she snapped, frustrated. "Karin, could you get that one over there? I'll grab him – let's hurry." With that, she and Karin picked up their respective genin, and made away with them to the shed.

"Let's go get radios, Sasuke-sama," Hiro said. He turned to the other genin – about eleven in total. "Hurry up!" He turned and dashed off to another shed on the property, a regular one, actually. We followed him, and he flung open the door and passed out all of the radios on a shelf beside the door.

I hooked mine up around my neck. "They'll have a radio in the labs right, kid?"

He nodded. "Channel nine, everyone."

"All right," I said, "Who has a map?"

A girl, about eleven, pulled out a scroll from her bag and handed it to me. I unrolled it and spread it on the ground for us to see. "Okay, the perimeter is about seven kilometers around, and we have thirteen people. If we can pull in the perimeter just a bit, and depend on the tree seals – " I stopped. "Those seals should have stopped the Miyatake. Isn't the barrier up?"

The genin looked at each other.

"Whose responsibility is it to keep those seals up?" I asked.

"We don't know," one of them said. "They were just always there."

"Maybe the Miyatake broke through them?" another suggested.

I hit the button on my radio. "Karin?" figuring that she would be the least busy.

I heard a crackle. _"What?"_ came her voice.

"Who keeps up the seals? Around the trees?"

"_Uh, I thought maybe Kabuto – wait – you mean they aren't up?"_ I heard Rin in the background shouting profanities. There was a break, then, _"Rin-chan said to hurry up and get to the border, Sasuke-kun."_ Karin's voice seemed nervous.

I nodded to the others. "Let's hurry and split up. If you see any sign of movement, radio it over with your position." The genin nodded, and we shot off in our separate ways. "Karin, what'll happen with the barrier until Kabuto gets back? Can Rin do anything about it?"

Rin's voice came over the air this time. _"I might be able to find something in his office about it, but I can't do anything right now. I can't believe he forgot something so fucking important! I'm going to send him a letter! I am going to send him a fucking Howler!"_

I wasn't sure what a Howler was, but I was guessing a letter that involved lots of degradation and name-calling. I saw the edge of the perimeter up ahead and landed on a large bough, reactivating my sharingan. Nothing moved, and I couldn't see any chakra, apart from my own. "Clear on the south-east," I radioed over. "How's everywhere else?"

I received a large chorus of "_clears_" in my ears.

"Keep on the look-out and don't drop your guard, anyone," I replied. I pulled my watch out of my pocket. Eleven o'clock. Had we really been out here that long? I settled back into the tree, pulling wire out of my pocket. Since nothing especially exciting was happening, I suppose I could set a few traps. I saw an old log around here earlier. It wouldn't do much damage, but it would at least make some noise.

I worked for about forty-five minutes, listening to silence on the radio, setting my traps. Figuring I had enough to slow down the enemy and alert me to anything going on, I settled back into the tree and kept watch until dawn. When the first tendrils of sunlight reached over the trees, I radioed the labs. "How are you two holding up there?"

Karin's voice crackled over. _"Sorry Sasuke-kun, could you hold on a minute? Rin-chan is elbow deep in some kid's abdomen and dictating a letter to me."_

"She really must be pissed, huh?"

"_Um, yeah. If I were Kabuto-san, I don't think I would come back after reading this."_

"How is she on chakra? Will she have enough to put the barrier back up?" I asked.

"_Tell him to fuck off, Karin,"_ I heard Rin say. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Did she mean me, or Kabuto? _"No, really I mean it. Fuck you, love Rin-chan. P.S. I hope you die, you forgetful dumbshit." _

Okay, she meant Kabuto.

"_Rin-chan, I don't think I can write that –"_

"_Fine, I'll do it; I'm done with this kid now."_

It was about eight in the morning when we finally met up again. Stepping out of the lab shed, Rin and Karin looked like hell. They had bags under their eyes and their skin looked sallow from the lack of sleep. Rin triumphantly held up a thick envelope in the air. I sensed her chakra in the air, molding the space in front of her, and suddenly an owl appeared. She smiled and gave the envelope to the owl. "Will you give this to Kabuto-senpai please?"

The owl squinted at her. "You realize it's daylight, right?"

"It's very important that it gets to him as soon as possible," Rin said. Her face darkened. "And I don't care."

The owl hooted nervously, and disappeared in a poof.

How did she manage to summon an owl without forming seals? I frowned at her. Karin noticed my expression, and nudged Rin. "Sasuke's curious."

"Talent," Rin said bluntly. "'S why they keep me around." She yawned. "Well, let's go tear apart senpai's office."

"You two go," I said. "I'll stay around the perimeter and guard with the genin. Keep in touch with the radios."

Rin nodded and walked off to the back kitchen door. Karin hesitated. "Are you sure you still have enough energy, Sasuke-kun?" Her eyes were worried as she looked me over.

"I have plenty. Make sure Rin has enough to put up the barrier. I don't want to be on border duty until they get back," I said, turning away from her and shoving my hands in my pockets. "Don't be so irritating Karin."

"I was just concerned," she said, her voice sharp and hurt. I heard her turn on her heel and stalk off. The back door slammed loudly behind her. I didn't really care. She was just another stupid girl vying for my attention. I made my way through the trees back to my post, and returned to my spot in the tree. I sat there and waited for someone to creep across the perimeter, or someone to radio in for back up, but nothing happened. I sighed, bored.

* * *

Dear FFN, fix your scroll bar and stop being gay! Love, Kajihenge Yoko

Okay, the next chapter we'll pick up with Rin's POV. Tell me what you guys think about her as a character!

Oh, and her talent? She just doesn't have to make hand seals to use ninjutsu. Can't say a whole lot about genjutsu, since it's not really her thing. That'll be Sasuke's territory.

Reveiw! No, really, click the button and put in your two cents!


	4. Chapter 4: First Glimpse

This chapter finally has a certain UCHIHA ITACHI. Are you excited? Me too. :D

**C****hapter Four: First Glimpse (Rin)**

* * *

Karin and I spent about twenty minutes shuffling through senpai's things before we finally found a scroll in his desk. We snapped it open and saw an unfamiliar seal on it. There were no instructions anywhere on the scroll.

Karin snatched it from the desk and threw it across the room. "Useless Kabuto!" she yelled.

"Agreed." I sighed. "Let's keep looking," I said, turning to a filing cabinet. I pulled open the drawers, flipping through the files, debating on whether or not to throw them across the room as well. I really considered trashing his office, just in case my letter was too subtle. I heard Karin shove the desk into the wall in a fit of rage.

"Why do you have such a retarded senpai, Rin-chan?"

"Couldn't tell you." I slammed the drawer I was going through shut. "Maybe he'll write me back and explain his stupidity."

"Hah, I wonder what he'd – oh, shit, the owl –"

I turned around and saw Fuku peering at me, holding a letter in his beak, perched on the desk Karin just shoved into the wall. "Nice," I said, taking the letter. "Thanks, Fuku-chan."

"He didn't seem happy with whatever you wrote him, Rin-chan," Fuku said.

"And he shouldn't have been," I replied, hoping that I hadn't pushed senpai too far. I tore open the envelope and unfolded his letter.

_Rin-chan, _

_I don't know what you're talking about. If the barrier went down you'll just have to put it back up yourself. There's a scroll in my desk with a seal on it, and nothing else. Take it outside and use it on the perimeter trees. You'll have to prick your finger to use it, but you'll live. We'll be back in a week and a half – don't forget to go shopping._

_And don't ever talk to me that way again, Rin-chan. Must I remind you what happens to those who can't keep their tempers regarding their superiors? I'll accept your apology in person when I return._

_Kabuto_

"What the fuck is this shit?" I demanded. "You don't know what I'm talking about? Really? Ugh!" I threw his letter across the room. "Like I'm really going to apologize to you, jerk!"

"Rin-chan," Karin said, picking up and skimming the letter. "Do you want to trash his office?"

I was so tempted, but I already made Kabuto-senpai angry, and I didn't need to push it. He had been lenient and indulgent of me for so long, that I really had forgotten how scary he could be. Last time he was angry with me, he got pretty abusive. "Nah, let's just find that scroll." I saw it crumpled up on the floor and picked it up and rolled it back together neatly. "Okay, let's go secure the perimeter and shit."

"And shit," she agreed.

"And then sleep," I added. "I'm effing tired.

* * *

I knew it was inevitable. It was going to happen. Kabuto-senpai even told me that it had to be done, and I absolutely _dreaded_ it.

_Shopping_.

And even worse than that: _inventory_.

After two hours of making list after list, going from bathrooms to kitchens to the storage room, I had broken my pencil in a fit of rage.

Sasuke just stared at me like I was a two-year-old.

Karin just handed me her list for the laboratory.

I grimaced. It was two and a half feet long on the scroll, and Karin had small, neat handwriting.

"Are you sure you need _everything_ on this list?" I asked her. "I mean, I can get all of this stuff in Akita, right?" Akita was about the closest town in Rice Field Country that could support a large market and numerous shops.

"Um," Karin looked thoughtful. "You should be able to get _most_ of it."

I wanted to kill her then. Really.

Lucky for her, Sasuke handed me the list he got from the genin. I sighed, it was only one page.

"How are you going to get all of this stuff back here?" he asked.

I could feel a scowl twisting my features. "Horse. And buggy."

He snorted. "Have fun." I decided to focus all of my rage at Sasuke at that point, and gave him the deadliest glare I could muster. His pale face twisted into a smirk, which was not at all attractive. I really didn't see what Karin saw in him. I mean, he was good-looking, but he was a complete jerk. I felt bad for any girl that loved him. I shrugged and turned.

"Okay, well, I'm heading out," I said. "Oh, and, have fun together." I could practically feel Sasuke turn a different color behind my back as he fully realized that he would be alone with Karin. He turned and went down the hall. I heard his bedroom door slam shut and all the locks turn. "Sorry Karin," I said, glancing back at her disappointed face. "Looks like he's going to be a hermit today." She only smiled and shrugged, and I waved and opened the back door. "See you later."

"Bye, Rin-chan."

I closed the door and made my way to the barn where we kept the horses and the buggy. It stood out in the trees, a wide red building accented by the changing leaves. I used to play in the barn as a genin, but when Kabuto-senpai took me on when I was thirteen, I really stopped playing. I was pretty sure that the genin now still played in the barn. There was a swing up at one point, but I hadn't seen it in a year or so. I rubbed my arms, glad that I had worn a jacket. It wasn't a week into November, but it was getting really cold.

As I approached the barn, I could hear the horses inside whicker. They could probably hear me coming. Hiro-chan had already hitched them to the buggy for me, so all I would have to do is hop in and ride. I came around the door and found them waiting for me, blowing hot air out of their noses, tossing their heads in anticipation.

"Ready to go?" I asked them, smiling.

Hiro-chan bounced out of a corner. "Yes! Let's go, Rin-sama!"

"Who said you were coming, kiddo?" I demanded playfully.

"I'm your protégé, I have to go!" he exclaimed, climbing in the buggy.

I sighed like it was a really big deal. "Okay." I climbed in the buggy beside him and took the reins. I was glad to have the company at least.

* * *

"Hiro-chan," I asked, looking at my half-empty pocky box. "Could you go buy me another box of strawberry pocky?" We were all set to go, but I really needed this one last thing. The pocky had to last until the next trip into Akita, and I had already eaten half of it. Maybe Kabuto-senpai was right. Maybe I should watch my figure a little more.

Hiro-chan nodded, jumping down from the cart and walking down the street, then turning the corner. I leaned back, propping my feet up and closing up the box and setting it beside me. I put it too close to the edge though, and it fell off and onto the ground. Luckily, the box stayed closed.

I sighed and bent over to get it, but a hand flashed out in front of mine and grabbed it before I did.

"Hey-" I stopped, looking up at the proffered pink box in a purple-nailed hand. I froze, looking past the hand and at the cloak the hand was wearing. Black, with red clouds.

_Akatsuki_.

Slowly, I looked up at the face and felt my teeth click together. Sharingan eyes peered at me over the high collar of the cloak. I froze. Uchiha Itachi really did look a lot like Sasuke.

He stared at me, still holding the box out to me. I forced my hand out to his, grasping the other end of the box.

He didn't let go.

"Katsuragi Rin."

I gaped at him. "Um, you know me?" _What the hell?_

His head tilted a little to the side, and the corners of his mouth seemed to go up the slightest, most miniscule millimeter. "Yes, I know who you are. You're the daughter of the marquis of a very, very large estate." His eyes were still, resting on my face, but I had the feeling that he was looking at me all over somehow. Maybe he was using his sharingan to examine my chakra. Whatever he was doing, it felt like he was trying to take in …something more than my image.

"You know my family?" I asked, warily, thinking of senpai's words about my father. If he was double crossing Orochimaru, he was dead. Not that that thought bothered me that much, but I wondered of whoever killed him and my mother would stop before they got to my little brother, Shonosuke. I couldn't let anything happen to him.

"I know your father," Itachi replied. "They're having a winter ball next month, as you should know."

I frowned. "I thought it was in January." On the second of November, Kabuto-senpai said, "in two months", which meant January. Itachi was talking about December. Either senpai misinformed me, or someone lied to him or Itachi.

Itachi's pale face pulled into a frown. "Does your family do this often, Rin-san?"

I looked away, ashamed at my parents' childishness. Although, it was probably mostly my mother's doing. "I'm sure it was an accident," I said. Even though it wasn't.

"It is vitally important that you attend this ball," he said. "I cannot go into detail at the moment, and I don't know what your father thinks he's playing at, misinforming you, but if you're not there, then there is no point in the Akatsuki being here." His face made no expression, but I could sense his irritation.

"What is my father doing with the Akatsuki?" I asked carefully.

He let go of the box of pocky and let his hand fall to his side. "You'll be informed at the ball," he said, after a moment. His hand came up again and held the side of my face, surprising me. His palm was cold against my cheek, and his fingers threaded through my short hair. My heart skipped a beat in anticipation – I almost expected him to kiss me. "Wear something nice," he finally said, dropping his hand and turning away. "Let's keep this meeting between us, shall we, Rin-san?"

I couldn't find my voice as I watched his retreating back. Finally, when he disappeared into the crowd, I managed, "O-okay."

* * *

Kabuto-senpai and Orochimaru came back in mid-November, two days before my birthday. Apparently their business had concluded sooner than expected. I didn't ask them about it, and I didn't really care that much anyway. I was still preoccupied with thoughts of Itachi and the Akatsuki's business with my father.

I hadn't said anything at all to Sasuke about meeting his brother. I really didn't know how he would react, and after saving my neck with the explosion note, I wasn't willing to rock our newfound camaraderie. It's better to have more allies than enemies, at least in my book.

Aside from the Itachi-drama, I had to concern myself with Kabuto-senpai's pointed remarks about apologizing to him for the conduct of my very rude letter. He finally cornered me in his office the day after he and Orochimaru got back, when I had come in to get a bottle of multivitamins.

"I'm still waiting for that apology, Rin-chan," he said, standing in front of the door so I couldn't leave. A wave of animosity rolled off of him, letting my intuition know to watch my step. He reached his arm behind him, keeping his hardened eyes on me, and locked the door. I knew at that moment he was really angry at me. He definitely did not appreciate his student telling him to fuck off and die, among other things, and definitely did not find it amusing like I sort of thought he would. I never could read Kabuto all too well.

I squirmed in the vice-like fear his anger gave me. "I'm sorry," I finally said.

His stature didn't relax as he approached me and took me by the arms. I looked up at him, wincing, because I expected him to shake me or hit me. He shoved me into the wall instead. Grabbing me by the chin, he forced my head up to face him.

"Don't ever disrespect me like that again, Rin-chan."

I swallowed my heart down and nodded.

* * *

Okay, look, I _know_ you guys are reading this. I can see the reader traffic.

So why not comment on it?

Why not?


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